Pouring spout carton



- s- 6, 1968 R. v. JOHNSON 3,395,848

POURING SPOUT CARTON Filed Dec. 29, 1966 INVENTOR 1:76- 5 RONALD M JOHNSON ATTORNEY nited States This invention relates to an improvement in pouring spout cartons, and deals particularly with a carton or container from which bulk material may be dispensed, and which may be simply and effectively reclosed when not in use.

A great many forms of pouring spout cartons and containers have been produced. For the most part, such structures are used in conjunction with paperboard cartons made of relatively thin carton stock. In some instances, pouring spout constructions which function effectively in conjunction with thin walled cartons do not function effectively with containers formed of thicker materials such as corrugated paperboard. It is a feature of the present invention to provide a pouring spout construction which may be used in cartons and containers made of corrugated paperboard, and which may be simply and effectively reclosed when not in use.

During recent years, the use of corrugated paperboard for use in containing bulk materials such as parts used in assembly processes has greatly increased. Such containers may be used for shipping the parts in bulk to the user, and may be readily printed to indicate the source and the contents. When not in use, such containers may be readily stored in a relatively small space. When in use, a number of the parts may be poured onto the assembly table or into suitable trays. It is desirable that the pouring openings be reclosed when not in use.

An object of the present invention resides in the provision of a carton of the type described which is generally of conventional form, having a tubular body, and end closure flaps hinged to the opposite ends of the body. The closure flaps of two opposed walls, which are normally the narrower walls of the rectangular carton are folded into a common plane, and the two flaps hinged to the wider walls are folded down over the first folded coplanar flaps and secured in face contact. One of the innermost flaps is provided with a dispensing opening formed therein either by cutting an aperture in the flap, or forming a removable area to provide the opening which is defined by weakened lines of separation. Two registering tabs are cut in the edges of the two uppermost flaps which are in superimposed relation and which overlie the dispensing opening in the inner flap. The lowermost of the two tabs is provided with a pair of rounded ears on opposite sides thereof which extend laterally beyond the sides of the tab in the uppermost flap. The tabs are hinged along registering fold lines parallel to the wall to which the innermost flap is hinged. When the two tabs are grasped and hinged upwardly, the ears will flex sufiiciently to permit the tabs to expose the dispensing opening. When hinged downwardly, the rounded edges of the ears permit the two tabs to swing back into their original position, the ears extending below portions of the uppermost flap and holding the tabs in closed position.

These and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of the specification:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the dispensing carton in closed position.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the carton showing the dispensing opening in open position.

atent "ice 3,395,848 Patented Aug. 6, 1968 FIGURE 3 is top plan view of the carton with the tabs in slightly open position.

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view through the dispenser carton, the position of the section being indicated by the line 44 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic view of the blank from which the carton is formed.

The blank from which the carton is formed is indicated by the letter A in FIGURE 5 of the drawings. As indicated in this view, the carton includes an end wall 10, a side wall 11, an end wall 12, and a side wall 13 which are hingedly connected along parallel fold lines 14, 15, and 16. A glue flap or stitch flap 17 is connected to one end wall panel of the series, the glue flap 17 being shown as hingedly connected by the fold line 19 to the end wall 10.

The lower edges of the side and end walls are connected along fold lines 20 which may :be offset slightly as indicated to compensate for the thickness of the paperboard, the portions of the fold lines 20 connecting the end walls and 12 to the bottom closure flaps 21 and 23 being slightly offset upwardly from the portions of the fold lines connecting the side walls 11 and 13 to the bottom closure flaps 22 and 24.

Top closure flaps are connected to the upper edges of the wall panels along fold lines 25 which may be similarly slightly offset. The portions of the fold lines 25 connecting the upper end closure flaps 26 and 29 hinged to the end walls 10 and 12 might be slightly lower than the portions of the fold lines 25 connecting the side walls 11 and 13 to the side wall upper closure flaps 27 and 30, respectively.

An aperture 31 is provided in the end wall closure flap 29, the area within the aperture either being cut away or connected to the remainder of the flap along readily separable weakened lines of separation. A tab 32 is provided in the end edge of the top closure flap the tab 32 at least partially overlying the aperture 31. The tab 32 is defined by a hinge line 33 which is parallel to the end edge 34 of the flap 30 the tab further being defined by weakened lines of separation 35 which diverge slightly from the ends of the fold line 33 to the end edge 34 of this flap. The weakened lines of separation are provided with outwardly rounded cut lines 38 which form laterally projecting ears 36 on opposite sides of the tab 32. The end edge 37 of the tab 32 preferably extends beyond the flap edge 34 to simplify the grasping of the tab.

A tab 39 is also provided in the end edge 40 of the closure flap 27 which is most closely adjacent the end closure flap 29 in the flat condition of the blank. The tab 39 is connected to the remainder of the flap 27 by a fold line 41 which generally registers with the fold line 33 when the flaps 27 and 30 are in superposed relation. A tab 39 is further defined by slightly diverging weakened lines of separation 42 which extend toward the flap edge 40. The weakened lines of separation 42 terminate in cut lines 43 extending inwardly from the flap edge 40 toward the ends of the fold line 41.

The lower end of the carton is closed in the conventional manner, folding the end closure flaps 21 and 23 inwardly into a common plane, and folding the closure flaps 22 and 24 inwardly into face contact and securing the flaps together. The top of the carton is also closed in a conventional manner, the end closure flaps 26 and 29 :being folded down into a common plane, the flap 30 being folded to overlie the coplanar flaps 26 and 29, and the flap 27 being folded over the flap 30 and being secured thereto in face contact therewith. When closed, the carton appears as indicated in FIGURE 1 of the drawings. Preferably, the end closure flap 27 is slightly 3 narrower than the flap 30 to expose narrow end portions of the inner flap 30.

When it is desired to open the carton, the end portion 37 of the flap 32 is engaged between the fingers and is pulled upwardly, hinging the combined flaps 32 and 39 upwardly as indicated in FIGURE 2 of the drawings. During this operation, the ears 36 of the tab 32 distort or flex to the mount necessary to permit the two tabs to be raised in unison.

When the carton is to be closed, the combined tabs are swung down and pressure is applied to the tabs between the ears 36. As a result, the tabs flex sufficiently to permit the ears to pass between the edges of the aperture formed by the tab 39, and reenter the notches 44 in the flap 30 which were created by cutting the ears 36. The rounded edges of the ears act to cam the tabs back into place to reclose the carton.

The use of an aperture 31 in the innermost flap has the advantage of providing a structure which will readily fold on conventional equipment. Obviously, the length of the flap 29 could be reduced to permit the carton contents to be dispensed when the combined tabs 32 and 39 are hinged upwardly into the position shown in FIGURE 2.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my pouring spout carton; and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that obvious changes may be made within the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A reclosable pour spout carton including a rectangular tubular body including side and end walls, and closure flaps secured to said walls and including an end wall closure flap hinged to an end wall, and side closure flaps secured to said side walls, said side wall closure flaps overlying said end closure flap and being secured in face contact, a pair of substantially registering tabs formed in the end edges of said side wall closure flaps overlying said end wall closure flaps and hinged to the side wall closure flaps along registering fold lines parallel to said end edges, side edges of said tabs extending from the ends of said registering fold lines to said end edges of said side wall closure flaps and spaced from the outer edges thereof, and a pair of ears projecting laterally from the side edges of the lowermost of said tabs extending beneath portions of the uppermost side wall closure flaps on opposite sides of the uppermost of said tabs, said ears being defined by outwardly curved cut lines which terminate substantially at the side edges of the tabs.

2. The structure of claim 1 and in which said end wall closure flaps is apertured in at least a part of the area underlying said tabs.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,812,127 11/1957 Graybill 229*17 2,979,249 4/ 1961 Gill 229-17 3,147,905 9/1964 Gill 229-17 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT PESHOCK, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A RECLOSABLE POUR SPOUT CARTON INCLUDING A RECTANGULAR TUBULAR BODY INCLUDING SIDE AND END WALLS, AND CLOSURE FLAPS SECURED TO SAID WALLS AND INCLUDING AN END WALL CLOSURE FLAP HINGED TO AN END WALL, AND SIDE CLOSURE FLAPS SECURED TO SAID SIDE WALLS, SSAID SIDE WALL CLOSURE FLAPS OVERLYING SAID END CLOSURE FLAP AND BEING SECURED IN FACE CONTACT, A PAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLY REGISTERING TABS FORMED IN THE END EDGES OF SAID SIDE WALL CLOSURE FLAPS OVERLYING SAID END WALL CLOSURE FLAPS AND HINGED TO THE SIDE WALL CLOSURE FLAPS ALONG REGISTERING FOLDS LINES PARALLEL TO SAID END EDGES, SIDE EDGES OF SAID TABS EXTENDING FROM THE ENDS OF SAID REGISTERING FOLD LINES TO SAID END EDGES OF SAID SIDE WALL CLOSURE FLAPS AND SPACED FROM THE OUTER EDGES THEREOF, AND A PAIR OF EARS PROJECTING LATERALLY FROM THE SIDE EDGES OF THE LOWERMOST OF SAID TABS EXTENDING BENEATH PORTIONS OF THE UPPERMOST SIDE WALL CLOSURE FLAPS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE UPPERMOST OF SAID TABS, SAID EARS BEING DEFINED BY OUTWARDLY CURVED CUT LINES WHICH TERMINATE SUBSTANTIALLY AT THE SIDE EDGES OF THE TABS. 